The Tiyewhosa Motathingy?
by Avada Kedavra
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's day this year, but her enchanted roses supposed to lead you to happiness and your true soulmate seem to bring more trouble than they're worth! Slash 14706: After four years of inactivity, I'll be rewriting
1. Concerning Art (Prologue)

Title: Concerning Art  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: (none)  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: If you haven't seen the LotR movie, what are you sitting there for? Go see it! *points at the nearest movie theatre* Also, since sooo many people were commenting on the fact that Draco and Harry just jumped right in (which, btw, was done intentionally, as this is supposed to be fluff, not angst or drama), I added this lil prologue thingy and reworked the story and finally finished chap six. Okay. On with the fic!  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
Harry liked to draw. Nobody but Hermione knew this, as he didn't make a big deal out of it. Hermione thought he was one of the best artists she had ever seen, but didn't press him to draw for other people. Sometimes artists just drew for themselves.  
  
Harry liked to draw dragons. For some reason, if he drew anything else, it never turned out quite as well as his dragons did. He had a lot of dragons in his trunk. Big ones, little ones, charcoal sketches, tiny little pictures as small as your fingernail, it didn't matter. Harry liked all kinds of drawing.  
  
And Harry especially liked to draw in the common room, late at night, in front of the fire. Then he could look at the fire in the fireplace and be able to draw really good flames. It was on one of these such nights, when Harry and Hermione were sitting in the common room, waiting for Ron to come back from the kitchen with food. Harry sighed.  
  
"I messed up the smoke," complained Harry, though he continued to add to it. Eventually, he turned it into a blue dragon with a rose petal in its mouth, with the rest of the rose lying nearby. Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry.  
  
"Why do you always draw dragons, anyway?" she asked, taking the finished picture and looking it over. "That's almost all you ever draw."  
  
"I don't know," said Harry. "I just like drawing them, I guess." Hermione nodded and stood up.  
  
"I need to go to the library," she said, gathering up a few things. "Can I borrow this picture?" Harry shrugged and pulled another sheet of drawing parchment out.  
  
"If you like," he said, starting another sketch.  
  
***  
  
Hermione arrived at the library, dumped her stuff at her regular table, and headed into the stacks with the dragon drawing. She suspected that there was something more than just a like for drawing dragons at work, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. *I'm not leaving the library until I do,* she resolved silently.  
  
A loud thunk startled the silence of the library a short time later; fortunately, there wasn't anyone there with her. Opening a book and scanning down the table of contents page, Hermione's eyes caught the words "Symbolism in Art". *Too easy,* she thought, flipping to the page number indicated for the particular chapter.  
  
"Artists often use common symbolism to represent hidden desires....no, not what I want....dragons often symbolise the masked desire for change, often change that once done cannot be undone....hmm...." Hermione's quiet mutterings trailed off as she spied a colour chart. "Different-colour dragons often represent different things. Well, I've not got time to dissect the whole chat, but that has to be it," she said, slamming the book closed. "Now if I could just - " She stopped as she heard someone walking up behind her.  
  
"No, no," drawled a familiar voice. "Don't stop now, it was just getting interesting." Hermione turned in her chair.  
  
"You," she said, standing.  
  
"Me," the voice responded.  
  
"Don't worry yourself with my business," Hermione said, gathering her things. "I'm sure it would be too much for your little mind to take."  
  
"Yes," the other person said, "I'm sure it would, as I don't tend to bother myself with such petty things as what you are no doubt thinking about." Hermione didn't say anything, just turned and left the library quickly. As she did so, a single sheet of parchment fluttered to the ground, unnoticed by the Gryffindor girl as she departed. It wasn't completely unnoticed, however, and a graceful hand reached from under black robes and snatched it off the floor.  
  
Silver eyes scanned the drawing, then rested on the signature. The dragon's eyes seemed to move off the page...like they were looking at something. More specifically...like they were looking at the person that was holding the image. The person whose namesake the drawing was. Draco Malfoy.  
  
~*~  
  
TBC 


	2. Concerning Unpronounceable Spells

Title: Concerning Unpronounceable Spells  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
Disclaimer II: Flames will be used to cook my breakfast cos I just got up and I'm hungry. ComprendÃ©?  
  
~*~  
  
-The next day, in the Great Hall, at lunchtime-  
  
"The old bat's really gone mad this time!" exclaimed Ronald Weasley in a huff, sitting down next to Hermione Granger. "This is even worse than those singing trolls of Lockhart's from our second year!"  
  
"Hey, I resent that," said Hermione, shooting Ron a Death Glare. Ron shrugged.  
  
"Just because they let you send Valentines to Lockhart doesn't make them nice. If anything, that makes them worse!"  
  
Hermione stuck her tongue out at Ron. "So who's doing what that's so bad?"  
  
"Professor Trelawney's teaching us a special Valentine's charm to bewitch roses to lead us to our soul mate. Or something like that, she didn't really say much on it," explained their raven-haired friend, Harry Potter. "She'll be working with us on it sometime this week."  
  
"Well, she'd better get on with it," said Hermione, turning to her plate. "Valentine's day is just tomorrow." And with an air of finality, she started eating, effectively ending the discussion.  
  
***  
  
-That afternoon, in the Divination classroom-  
  
  
  
Harry drummed his fingernails on the small scarred table in front of him. The class had assembled in their usual chairs over fifteen minutes ago, and were now waiting for the arrival of their Professor. In the back of the room, the curtains started moving and the insectlike Professor appeared. She was carrying in her arms several dozen roses, and many more floated in the air, trailing after her. Harry and Ron stared.  
  
"Good morning class," said Trelawney, sounding like her usual airy self. "Today we shall be working on the Tiyediflosa Motaleusamos charm."  
  
"The whosey whatsey?" whispered Ron. Harry shrugged.  
  
"This charm is one that will bewitch a certain flower, namely the rose, to lead you to your soul mate. However, out of these hundred roses, it is doubtful if even ten will succeed. This spell is listed in the Wizard's book of Spell Records as the least successful spell of all time, even done correctly. But, do not fear, as I am not grading you based on the success of your rose." (Several relieved sighs could be heard throughout the room.) "There is also a followup part to the spell, for when you get your rose, you must activate the spell by reciting a small phrase while plucking off the petals, one by one. You will be told more about this tomorrow."  
  
Each of the students in the room recieved a rose and were told to start trying to bewitch it. Ron was not having much success.  
  
"Tiyedyflo Motalusmus!" he said, whacking his rose then looking at it expectantly. It did nothing more than twitch and turn purple for a brief moment. "Tiyefleo Motelasamos?" Ron asked it. The rose rolled over.  
  
"No, no," said Lavendar Brown, turning around. "It's Tee-ed-e-flo-sa, make sure you pronounce the flo part. And the other part, it goes 'moh-ta-lu-sa- mous', make sure the 'lu' is pronounced right. Like this," she said, clearing her throat. With a flourish of her wand, she pronounced carefully: "Tiyediflosa Motaleusamos!" A very small pink ball of light drifted from the end of Lavendar's wand to the very centre of her rose. The whole rose took on the pink hue for a moment, then it faded and the rose looked perfectly normal. Turning around importantly, Lavendar proceeded to continue her conversation with Parvati Patil.  
  
Ron looked dubiously at the rose, then starting trying to cast again. "Teeiflos Mootaloo!" The rose rolled over. "Tieaflow Maloostia!" The rose sat there, looking very sad indeed. Ron hit it with his wand. "Teyihioh Meloosia!" he said impatiently, hitting it again.  
  
"Ahh, I can't even pronounce the thing, let alone cast it!" he said, throwing his wand down on the table, making it bounce off his rose. "Tiyewhosa Motathingy, honestly. I wouldn't be surprised if it were in the Wizard's book of Spell Records for most unpronounceable spell, too!"  
  
"Actually," cut in Lavendar Brown, turning around again, "the record for most unpronounceable spell is the Capeechamouladarioumounastamous spell. It's a flying spell, you know."  
  
"No, I didn't," said Ron sarcastically. "Why don't you just go back to your own rose now and let me alone? Nobody asked you!"  
  
As the class period was almost over, Ron had finally succeeded in doing the spell. However, he had hit his rose with his wand so many times that it was looking quite sorry indeed.  
  
"Maybe you should get another rose," suggested Lavendar, who had turned around yet again, her perfect rose in hand. "Maybe you could do it without killing it this time."  
  
"They're already dead," Harry pointed out. "It's not like he did it much damage, casting on it. He just bruised it. Give Ron a break, why don't you? Not everyone is good in Divination like you are." This wasn't said meanly, just a bit sharply so that Lavendar turned back around with a huff.  
  
"Thank goodness Valentine's day is tomorrow. No more casting the Tiythingy Motagummy spell again," said Ron as they walked to the Great Hall for lunch. Hermione was waiting for them.  
  
"Well? What'd she say about it?" she asked eagerly.  
  
"Since when have you had an interest in Divination?" asked Harry, surprised.  
  
"Well....I just think the idea of a soul mate rose is interesting," said Hermione, turning red. "Kind of suspenseful, wondering if....ah, nothing," she said, turning back to her plate.  
  
"Wondering if what?" asked Ron, grinning.  
  
"Just wondering if it'll lead you to who you think or hope it will. That's all," Hermione replied, shrugging.  
  
"Who d'you think it'll lead you to, then?" asked Harry, sitting down beside Hermione. She reddened further at the question.  
  
"Nobody."  
  
"Ahh, come off it! Why else would you be sitting here all red like that?" Ron said, leaning toward Hermione. "You know there's someone you want it to go to!"  
  
"Nobody!"  
  
"Ron, I don't think she's gonna tell us. We'll just have to wait and see," Harry said.  
  
"If it doesn't take you to who you thought it would, will you tell us?" asked Ron.  
  
"No!" said Hermione, stuffing her mouth full. Harry and Ron shared a look, shrugged, and started eating.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC 


	3. Concerning Hermione

Title: Concerning Hermione  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: Prisoner of Azkaban  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! ^_^; I write and post faster if I get lots of nice reviews *hint*!  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
The next morning, Hermione was up early. She stretched and reread the book on art and symbolism that she borrowed from the library two days before. "The dragon, when used in art....," she muttered, "...often symbolise the masked desire for change, often change that once done cannot be undone. The following is a study of different colours and breeds dragons have been known to be in in works of art and what they are presumed to mean." Under this, there was a complicated chart. "Oh my," said Hermione. "So many...I'll need that picture....now, where did I put it?" She sifted through her pile of stuff from the library, having no luck. "Where on earth did I put it? I didn't drop it, did I...?" Hermione wondered. She closed her eyes and reflected back to the library.  
  
After a moment, Hermione decided that she must have dropped it somewhere and so she had to go find it. The magical clock on the wall showed five- thirty in the morning. *Too early for breakfast, but when does the library open, I wonder?* she thought. Getting dressed quickly and picking up her book, Hermione set out for the library, keeping her eyes open for the drawing.  
  
***  
  
The bushy haired Gryffindor was not the only one up early. Down in the Slytherin dungeons, Draco Malfoy was also awake. Propping his head up on his elbow, he retrieved the sketch parchment he had gotten at the library. It was the very one that Hermione was currently looking for. It depicted a (COLOUR) dragon crouching, with a single rose petal in its mouth. The dragon wasn't eating the rose petal; that wouldn't have fit in. It was merely holding it in its mouth and looking at Draco as if challenging him to say anything about the petal.  
  
Draco smiled at the drawing. It reminded him a bit of him, yet so very much of the artist. It was impossible to seperate what reminded Draco of himself and what reminded him of Harry.  
  
***  
  
Hermione reached the library door and yanked on the handle. It was locked. Hermione sighed and banged her head on the door frustratedly.  
  
"I would ask you to not damage my doors, Miss Granger," a voice said from behind her. Hermione jumped and spun around. There stood Madam Pince, the librarian, keys in hand, looking severely at her.  
  
"I'm sorry, Madam Pince. Do you think I could please go into the library for a moment? I think I left something in there the other day," Hermione said.  
  
"Students are not permitted into the library until after breakfast," replied Madam Pince, peering severly at Hermione. Hermione in turn gave Madam Pince a pleading look and the older woman sighed. "Very well, but be quick about it, then get to breakfast where you belong," she said, unlocking the door. Hermione sped through the doors to her table, looking for the picture while she did so. It was nowhere to be seen.  
  
*Now what?* she wondered, sitting in a chair and banging her head on the table.  
  
"Miss Granger. I would ask you to not damage my table either, and I suggest you stop banging your head anywhere, for then you shall damage your head." The voice came floating through the stacks, though the librarian was nowhere to be seen. Hermione sighed resignedly and got up, grabbing her book and leaving the library.  
  
*I'm officially confused now,* she thought, wandering the halls aimlessly. *Somebody picked it up, I guess. Harry will kill me if some random person comes about a picture of his because I lost it. Even worse,* Hermione thought, remembering, *what if Malfoy picked it up? Harry would really kill me then.*  
  
During Ancient Runes, the class was milling around, talking, since Professor Vector was sick. Hermione chewed a fingernail worriedly while stewing over the meaning of dragons. Absentmindedly, she let her eyes wander around the classroom, not really taking in what she was seeing, for she was too absorbed in dragons. She was trying to see the dragon in her memory, when all of a sudden, she realised she was looking at a Dragon.  
  
Draco Malfoy was sitting across the room, seemingly studying a sheet of parchment. *Of course,* realised Hermione. *Dragons....that's it.....but does Harry know?*  
  
***  
  
Later, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall for lunch, they were just in time to witness a small horde of blue fairies placing roses on everyone's plates. The three Gryffindors sat down, setting the roses aside. Over the next few minutes, the rest of the school came in, sitting down and looking at their roses. After a while, Professor Dumbledore nodded to Trelawney, and the said Divination teacher stood up.  
  
"Now," said Trelawney. "After you eat your lunch, here is what you must do. Fourth years and above, you will be taken to Hogsmeade, so as not to confuse your roses with the presence of too many people. Then, you will take your roses up in your hands and start pulling the petals off, one by one. You will start to walk, as that is a part of the spell. Do not try to change your direction or steer to anyone else you may wish to go towards. While you pull off the petals, you are to recite 'he loves me, he loves me not,' or 'she loves me, she loves me not.' If you end with a 'he/she loves me not' as you approach someone, your rose was unsuccessful or your soul mate is not at Hogwarts. Most likely, it will be the former. Enjoy your Valentine's Day!"  
  
Harry and Hermione stared at each other, then burst out laughing. Ron stared at them.  
  
"What was so funny? I found it highly stupid, not funny!"  
  
"It's...hahaha....that thing she told us to say (hehe) is a Muggle child's game...hahaha....Muggle children pull petals off of daisies saying that...oh, hahahaha..." Anything else Hermione would have said was cut off as she continued giggling. Ron was still staring at them both.  
  
"Err....right, okay....if you say so," he said, looking as though they had both gone crazy. "I still say it's utterly stupid."  
  
***  
  
-Twenty minutes later, in Hogsmeade-  
  
"...and I *still* say this is stupid. Say, Harry, whaddya say about giving our roses to some girl, then going off to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? Maybe Fred and George will have something for us," Ron suggested hopefully.  
  
"Ron! You and Harry are getting *graded* on this! You can't just blow it off!" Hermione scolded. "Besides, if I'M doing it, then you have to, too. I'm not doing this alone!"  
  
Ron sighed as though it were causing him great pain to do so. "Fine," he said. "Let's go."  
  
The three started off into the crowd, mumbling the phrase under their breath. Eventually, though, Harry's feet started to wander away from Ron's and Hermione's.  
  
"Guess we're not staying together, huh?" he called back to them.  
  
Ron and Hermione's roses seemed to be going in fairly similar directions, so the two talked while they walked. Each wondered out loud who their soul mate was, and each refused to tell who they thought it might be. They walked for almost an hour, until finally Ron's rose began to veer off to the left. Hermione waved goodbye as her own steps began moving right, out of town.  
  
*How stupid,* thought Ron. *I'm cold. I'm hungry. I want something to eat. I could be back at Hogwarts right now, playing chess with Harry. Or getting some food from the kitchens. Yeah. Chocolate eclairs....or what about a warm cup of tea or something? That would sure be nice. Wonder if my soul mate's in the Three Broomsticks? Then I could grab a Butterbeer or something.* For a moment, Ron thought his rose was indeed taking him to the said shop, as he seemed to be walking straight for it. However, at the last second, the rose suddenly jerked to the left, almost sending him colliding into a garbage pail.  
  
On the opposite side of town, Hermione's rose seemed to be leading her in a similar manner. First, it seemed like she was headed to the old cave Harry's godfather Sirius had stayed in for a while. Then, the rose turned her around and headed her off back towards town.  
  
Ron straightened his robes and continued after his rose. It was beginning to seem pointless. *No, wait,* realised Ron. *It was pointless to begin - * His thought was cut off as he slammed violently into someone, sending both of them sprawling.  
  
"I'm sorry," Ron said automatically, standing up and brushing himself off. He offered his hand to the other person, who took it and stood up. It was then that he noticed who the other person was.  
  
Standing not two feet away from him, covered in dust from the road and holding a now-petalless rose, was Hermione Granger.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC 


	4. Concerning Ron and the Weasley Twins

Title: Concerning Ron and the Weasley Twins  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: (none)  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: Many more thanks to all who've reviewed...wow, 36 reviews in just a couple of days! ^___^;  
  
A/N II: Agghhh.... *starts singing* I am going slowly crazy, 1 2 3 4 5 6 switch...slowly going am I crazy, 6 5 4 3 2 1 switch! *stops singing, and stares at all the people staring at her* Well, you'd be singing stupid songs your dad taught you too, if you'd've done four Oekakis, reworked a whole story, and redone your website all in one day, not to mention having company and eating a meal! I mean, a family meal takes some time, you know! Err...ehehe....back to reality now. Enjoy the chap.  
  
A/N III: I promise this is the last one. I just wanted to say that some people had a problem with me having Draco exclaim "Jesus!". I've fixed that, as I realised it offended me, too, so now he says what I say. "Valar!" =)  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Harry's rose had an extraordinary amount of petals, as it didn't seem to be getting any smaller. *What a stupid way to spend my Valentine's Day,* Harry thought. *Ron was right. We should have gone to see Fred and George. At least then I'd be warm. It's extraordinarily stupid to wander around in the cold, following a rose.* His mind made up, Harry tossed the rose onto the ground.  
  
It jumped right back into his hand. *Lovely,* thought Harry wryly. *Guess I'm stuck with it now.* Resignedly, he continued walking where his feet and his rose led him. *Another cloak would have been nice,* Harry thought, colder than ever. *Or a nice, warm Butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks...or anything but just walking around out here in the cold like this...* Getting sudden inspiration, he shifted his rose from his right hand to his left hand and pulled out his wand. The rose jumped back into his right hand.  
  
*Great, so I have to work left-handed. Okay then,* he thought, switching his wand over to his left. Pointing it awkwardly at himself, Harry mumbled the word, "Insulamario!" A jet of hot red light came out of his wand, and his left hand (not being strong enough to hold the wand straight) jerked, sending the beam of light into a patch of snow nearby. Harry sighed and tried again. This time he managed to not miss himself, and a circle of warm air engulfed him. *That's better,* he thought, putting his wand away.  
  
Harry continued in this fashion for quite some time, mumbling to himself and occasionally recasting the Insulamario spell for warmth.  
  
"This is stupid, I could be doing so many other things right now. I could be practising Quidditch, I could be eating, I could be - oomph!" Harry's rambling was cut off as he slammed into someone and fell to the ground.  
  
There, standing over him, was Draco Malfoy. Both of the boys stared at each other for a moment, too surprised to say anything. Harry looked at his rose; there was one petal left.  
  
The last petal fluttered to the ground.  
  
Draco looked at his rose, then at Harry, then back at the rose. He stuck the rose in his teeth and fished something out of his robe. Draco took the rose out of his teeth and handed a piece of parchment to Harry, then proceeded to sit on a rock and cross his arms. Harry unrolled the scroll and looked the parchment over.  
  
It was a charcoal drawing of a dragon, with a rose petal in his mouth. Harry glanced back at Draco. Draco's rose's last petal fluttered to the ground. The Slytherin tapped his foot on the ground as he waited for Harry to say something. When he made no move to do so, Draco uncrossed his arms.  
  
"Just returning what's yours," Draco said finally. "Figured you might want it back."  
  
"Malfoy, being solicitous? Be still my beating heart," Harry said.  
  
"Fine, I won't be polite, if that's what floats your boat," Draco shot back. There was a slight pause. Suddenly, Harry started laughing. The blond boy raised an eyebrow at him. "Is something amusing?" he asked. Harry shook his head helplessly, continuing to laugh.  
  
"Somehow, hearing a Malfoy using such a Muggle phrase....somehow that was amusing," Harry managed to get out. Now Draco was the one to shake his head. Another pause ensued, and then to Harry's surprise, Draco started laughing too.  
  
"Somehow, I agree with you," he said. "So where are your two shadows, then?"  
  
"If you mean Ron and Hermione," replied Harry, "they're not my shadows for one, and for another I don't know where they are. So where are *your* two shadows?"  
  
"If you mean Crabbe and Goyle," said Draco in exactly the same way Harry had, "they're too big to be shadows for one, and for another, they're probably off snogging each other somewhere." The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow at the other boy. "Yes, Potter, you heard me right. Aren't you going to ask how I came about your picture?" Draco asked.  
  
"I wasn't planning on it," Harry replied neutrally. "Though if you like, you can tell me." This seemed to put Draco off his track and another moment passed silently. "If you'll excuse me," Harry said finally. "I'm going to go find Ron and Hermione."  
  
"I'll come with you," Draco offered, though it wasn't meant to be a question. Harry shrugged and walked toward the village, the other boy running after him. "Your friend dropped it. Granger did, I mean." When Harry said nothing, Draco continued: "It's a nice picture. Really." Harry stopped. "Really," Draco repeated. "It reminds me of you."  
  
Harry started walking again, looking down at the ground as he did so. Draco caught up to him and stood in front of him. Harry, watching the ground, slammed into him.  
  
"You did that on purpose," Harry accused.  
  
"Yes," said Draco. "I did." He reached a hand out to help Harry up. The Gryffindor boy let Draco help him up. After Harry had stood up fully, it took him a few seconds to realise that he was still holding Draco's hand. Both boys blushed and dropped hands, looking at the ground. "Ermm...I guess I'd better....er...get back to Ron and Hermione...," stammered Harry nervously.  
  
It wasn't long before Harry and Draco caught up with Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Ron! Hermione!" panted Harry, running up beside his friends. "You still walking around?"  
  
"No," said Ron, waving his petal-less rose at Harry. Hermione looked at Draco, then Harry, then smiled as though she knew something the others didn't. "What's he doing with you?" Ron asked, gesturing towards the blonde Slytherin. Draco and Harry glanced at each other. "You don't mean that him...and you...and...the rose?"  
  
"We'll talk about it later, Ron," said Harry sharply. "Like, once we've got back to the school." *Like, once *I* know what's going on,* he thought silently. Ron sighed resignedly; he knew it was no good arguing.  
  
"Say," said Hermione, breaking the sudden, awkward silence, "...weren't you the one who was complaining about how cold it was earlier? Let's go visit Fred and George."  
  
The bell on the door of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes tinkled as the four cold students entered the shop. A red-haired young man came walking out of the back room, a big box of sweets in his arms.  
  
"Oh, hello Ron, Hermione, Harry! About time you lot came to see us! Who've you got with you?" Draco was standing behind the three Gryffindors, unsure of what to do. "Oh, bloody hell," Fred said, recognising the blond Slytherin. "Don't tell me you've made friends with him!"  
  
"I haven't," said Ron haughtily. "It's Harry who appeared back there in the village, dragging Malfoy around with him. It had nothing whatsoever to do with me!"  
  
Hermione glanced from Fred to Ron to Harry to Draco nervously. "Be that as it may," she said, "I'd hardly think it matters what Harry was doing with Draco. Let him alone, unless he's not letting you alone. Understand?" She shot a sharp glance at her red-headed object of affection, so he would know exactly whom she was referring to. Ron shrugged meekly and began examining a shelf of sweets.  
  
Draco shot Hermione a small smile of thanks. Hermione shrugged at him and joined Ron at the candy. It was painfully obvious to Draco that Ron wasn't exactly accepting of the situation yet, though at least Hermione seemed halfway okay with it. It was almost like she knew beforehand. *Though I wouldn't put it past her,* Draco thought, smiling crookedly at the Whizbees he was poking through.  
  
"What's so funny?" asked a voice very close to his ear. Draco jumped and spun around, slamming straight into Harry.  
  
"Valar!" he said, glaring at Harry. "Nearly gave me a heart attack, you did!" Harry grinned and spread his hands out in apology.  
  
"I say," said George Weasley, who had just joined his twin at the counter. "It's not a Hogsmeade weekend. What're you doing out of Hogwarts?"  
  
"Valentine's thing," replied Ron. "Stupid thing." Hermione nudged him. "What?" he asked, looking at Hermione. She said nothing. "What?!" Hermione gave him a small smile and put a sweet in his hand. Ron rolled his eyes.  
  
"We'd better be getting back, you know," Draco reminded the three Gryffindors. "We don't know how long we have in Hogsmeade." Looking put- out, Ron paid for his items and left the shop with Hermione. Harry and Draco did the same a few moments later.  
  
Draco eyed Ron, who was ahead of him. "So, Weasley," he said suddenly. "What's wrong with you?" Ron spun around.  
  
"Other than the fact that my best friend is suddenly walking around with the person who is supposed to be his worst enemy? Couldn't be better," Ron said.  
  
"He's not walking around with me," Draco said. "I'm walking around with him. I started following him first."  
  
"Whatever," replied Ron, turning back around to Hermione. "Don't talk to me. I'm going to pretend you're not here and that this was just a really bad dream."  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC 


	5. Concerning the Attention Span of Seamus

Title: Concerning the Attention Span of Seamus  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: Prisoner of Azkaban  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: Many more thanks to all who've reviewed...whee, 46 reviews in what? Four days? ^___^; People like me! They really, really do!!  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
Harry watched the exchange without saying a word, then sped up to catch up with Ron and Hermione, who were now quite some distance away.  
  
"Potter!" called Draco, running to catch up with him. "I didn't mean to upset Weasley. Honestly, I didn't. I just figured...well...I'm not exactly their favourite person in the world." Harry shot Draco a look. "Really! I mean it! I'm sorry, okay?" It was the first time Harry had ever heard Draco apologise for anything. "I'm sorry," Draco repeated, catching Harry's hands in his own.  
  
Harry heaved a huge sigh and looked away. "I think I'd better go find Ron," he said, neither accepting or rejecting the blond boy's apology.  
  
"I'll help you," Draco said.  
  
Harry turned back to Draco with a smile. "That's very sweet of you," he said, "and I'd take you up on your offer, except I don't think Ron really wants to see you right now." Draco nodded.  
  
"Tell him what I said, though, will you? About being sorry?" he asked.  
  
"Of course," Harry responded, turning to leave.  
  
"Oh...and if I want to talk later, my owl, Audax, knows where to find you, okay Harry?" asked Draco. Harry was surprised at the sudden use of his name, but nodded. With a crooked smile at Draco, he turned and walked toward the village.  
  
Draco watched him with a half smile on his face before turning and walking his own way. He wasn't the only one watching the raven-haired boy walk away, however. With a swish of his cloak, a scowling Professor Snape spun around and vanished down an alley.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
That night, dinner was quite a different affair than usual. The House tables had been abandoned in lieu of smaller tables that seated four apiece, though as Professor Dumbledore put it, "those who do not wish to be seated with their Valentine, for one reason or another..." (at this, Harry could've sworn the twinkling eyes rested on him) "...are certainly not required to."  
  
Since Harry did not think it would go down well with the school (and most particularly, Ron), he figured he should perhaps not sit with Draco. Fortunately, Draco seemed to have to same opinion, and sat with a few fellow Slytherins. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Seamus shared a table.  
  
"Say, Harry, who'd your rose take you to? Certainly not either of them," Seamus said, nodding in the direction of Ron and Hermione, who had shoved their chairs very close together and were sharing a plate.  
  
"Erm...nobody," Harry said, hoping that he didn't look like he was lying. Unfortunately, Seamus was much too keen for that and snorted.  
  
"You're a bloody liar. I know it took you to someone," he said, tossing a pea at Harry. "Who?" Harry shook his head. "Come on, then! I won't tell anyone!"  
  
"No," Harry replied stubbornly. "If you absolutely must know, I'll tell you later. Okay?" This seemed to satisfy Seamus.  
  
"Okay, then. What about that Quidditch match Britain played last week? Superb, eh? That Reverse Pass that Bromley made was..." Harry tuned Seamus' rambling out as his eyes wandered over to a particular Slytherin-heavy table. After a while, he became aware of someone poking him painfully in the arm. "...Harry? Hello? You in there?"  
  
Harry blinked. "I'm here," he said, shaking his head. "Sorry, I got distracted. I'll...I'll see you in the Common Room, okay? I've got some stuff I have to do." He stood up and headed out of the Great Hall.  
  
Harry arrived at the Gryffindor Common room not much later. He collapsed on a squashy armchair and sighed. It was times like this that he wished he had a journal and knew how to write in things like that, though somehow he felt he wouldn't have been able to describe the awkward, uncertain feeling that was gripping his heart. Concern, worry, apprehension, all these things were running through Harry so fast he couldn't hardly grasp the idea of them. He sighed again and shifted his position so that he was nearly upside down.  
  
A face appeared over his feet. "I'd hardly think that's how you're supposed to sit in those chairs," said Ron stiffly. "Mind telling me what you were doing this afternoon?" Harry flipped back over again and looked up at Ron.  
  
"I was doing a lot of things this afternoon," he replied neutrally.  
  
"Yeah, I'll bet," Ron sneered, turning to go up to the dorm. Harry sighed for a third time, got up, and went up the stairs, too.  
  
"Ron, what is the deal with you today?" Harry asked, moving in front of Ron so that he couldn't get into the dorm. "You're acting like a baby whose favourite blanket is in the wash or something!"  
  
"No, Harry, what's the deal with you?" the red-haired boy shot back. "Last time I checked, you're not supposed to walk around town with your enemy as though you're best mates!" Harry moved out of the way of the door and went back down the stairs.  
  
"He says he's sorry, by the way," Harry called as he exited Gryffindor Tower, leaving Ron staring after him.  
  
Harry wandered the halls for a long while, going nowhere in particular. He stared at the floor as he walked, not knowing what to do. "It's not a huge deal, it's not like anyone was doing anything to him!"  
  
"Who was doing what to who?" asked a voice suddenly. Harry looked up to see Hermione, on her way back to the Tower after dinner.  
  
"Well...nobody," he said, shrugging. "Just stewing." Hermione grabbed his arm and guided him into an empty classroom nearby.  
  
"I want you to know, Harry, that you can talk to me if you ever need to, okay?" she asked, looking at him very seriously. Harry nodded and fiddled with his robe. A few minutes passed.  
  
"Why's Ron so mad at me? I didn't do anything to him," Harry said, finally. Hermione sighed and looked toward the door.  
  
"I really don't know, Harry. He could be jealous, or he could just hate Malfoy a lot more than you know. He told me his view on what happened today, and I think perhaps he didn't want to believe that you might want to be with someone like Malfoy," Hermione said. "I'm willing to give him a chance, as I know that people can change. And who knows? Maybe you'll be a good influence on him." She stood up and ruffled Harry's hair, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving Harry deep in thought.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC 


	6. Concerning Audax

Title: Concerning Audax  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: You know the drill. More thanks to my reviewers =)  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
Harry sat in the empty classroom thinking for a very long time. He eventually had to leave, however, when Peeves the Poltergeist turned up and started throwing chalk and erasers at him. As it was late, Harry had no choice but to go to the Gryffindor Common Room; the library was closed, he wasn't hungry and could thus not go down to the kitchens for food, and he didn't even have any friends who were ill and needed visiting in the Hospital Wing.  
  
Fighting down the weird urge to go down to the Slytherin dungeons, Harry made his way to the portrait of the Fat Lady and entered Gryffindor tower. Nobody was in the common room but Hermione and Ron. They were sitting on a sofa in the corner of the room, talking quietly. When they heard Harry entering, they both looked up at him; Hermione was smiling encouragingly, Ron was looking a bit sheepish. He sat down on the couch next to them.  
  
"Hi," Harry said. Ron looked at his hands and Hermione nudged him. Ron sighed.  
  
"Harry, um...I just wanted to say that...I probably misjudged you and...and stuff...and that if you're willing to...allow it, I'm willing to give Malfoy...a second chance," said Ron, as though it were giving him great pains to say so. Ron held his hand out and Harry shook it. Hermione beamed at them.  
  
"Now that that's taken care of, let's do something more productive!" she said brightly. Ron and Harry groaned.  
  
"Don't tell me, school work?" Harry guessed.  
  
"Well, we *have* got our NEWTs coming up soon and all....," Hermione teased. Suddenly there was a tapping on the Common Room's northern window. Hermione crossed the room and opened the window and an eagle owl flew in, shaking a few bits of snow from its feathers. Ron, Harry, and Hermione stared at it for a moment as it hopped over to Harry and stuck its leg out. It was then that he recognised it.  
  
"Oh! Audax!" he said, unbinding the scroll from the owl's leg. "Thank you!" Audax hooted at Harry, eyed Ron and Hermione suspiciously, and took off out the still-open window. Ron got up and closed it.  
  
"Who's Audax?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Audax is Draco's owl...why?" he said  
  
"Just wondering," said Hermione, shrugging. Ron determinedly didn't say anything about the sudden use of Draco's first name.  
  
"Want a game of chess, Ron?" Harry asked, hopefully. Ron knew it was obviously supposed to be a peace offering, but he accepted anyway. The two boys went up to their dorm and retrieved their chess sets. Hermione watched them with a smile, glad that they so easily forgave one another, then opened a book and began to read.  
  
Harry and Ron sat down and began their game of chess. Harry moved ahead one of his center pawns, Ron moved one of his left pawns. The raven-haired boy thought for a minute and moved his queen a few spaces diagonally. Ron smiled and moved one of his rooks.  
  
Not long after, Ron paused and then laughed as his bishop annihilated Harry's pawn,"It seems I am winning, Harry."  
  
Harry grumbled and moved his pawn forward. "I..WILL..prevail..." Ron laughed as his knight destroyed another of Harry's pawns.  
  
"Sure you will, Harry. Don't bet on it." Hermione glanced at them from her book and rolled her eyes, mumbling something about boys being too competitive.  
  
An hour and a half later, Ron's queen finally had Harry's king. Harry scowled and crossed his arms across his chest. Ron looked at him expectantly, until the corners of Harry's mouth twitched up into a smile and he laughed, "So I lost. I admit it, I didn't prevail. You win." Ron beamed at Hermione, who rolled her eyes at Harry.  
  
"I will never understand how boys can be SO competitive," she said, returning to her book. Ron yawned and stretched, saying that he should probably go to bed.  
  
"Good night, Ron," said Harry.  
  
"Good night, Harry."  
  
Harry curled up in an armchair and unrolled the scroll.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I have to apologize. Ever since the first day I saw you, I've done nothing but hurt you and your friends. But what could I do? You were in Gryffindor and I was in Slytherin. I had to keep my cold face. I actually quite like your wit and sense of humour and have envied Ron and Hermione for being able to have access to that any time they wanted. I've wanted a change in house but haven't had the guts to ask for it yet. I don't think anyone's ever done that before, and besides my father would never allow it. I'm sorry for all those times I insulted you and your friends. I had to. Whenever I could, I stuck up for you. I never truly insulted you, as offensive as I may have sounded. It was all a lie. This I swear from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you can find it in yours to forgive me.  
  
Where the signature was supposed to go, there was a tiny, intricate sketch of a dragon in silver ink. Draco. Harry smiled and rolled the letter back up, sticking it in a robe pocket. He stood and stretched, bidding Hermione goodnight. Harry went up to his dorm, got into his pyjamas, and lay in his bed rereading the letter until very late that night.  
  
~*~  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
A/N: Btw: Coupla notes.  
  
First, sorry the chap's so short, I've got two more chaps to do tonight.  
  
Second: I know Ron kinda just forgave Harry, but I'm trying my durndest to keep the story fluffy!  
  
Third, many, many thanks to my friend Kat for writing the chess scene and helping me with the letter. 


	7. Concerning Draco and his Tendency to Smi...

Title: Concerning Draco and his Tendency to Smirk a Lot  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: Wow, people are actually liking the story!! Will wonders never cease?? ^_^ Hope you all like this chap, too!  
  
A/N II: I suck. All this time, I had "Zabini" spelt "Zambini" in this chap. I fixed it, though. ^_^  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning in potions, neither Harry nor Draco seemed to know what to do about each other. Both of the boys decided to themselves to not say anything to the other, at least for the time being. Harry was rereading the letter for the twentieth time; he didn't need to read it, he'd memorised it. It was still sweet to read the letter, though, he figured.  
  
"Mister Potter," said a cold voice above him. "I'd ask you to please not read personal correspondences in my class." Professor Snape's hand extended from his robe and snatched the letter from Harry's hand. He quickly scanned the paper. Snape's eyes flicked ever so subtly from Harry to Draco and back, before he stuffed the letter into his robe pocket. "I will see you after class, Potter." With that, he swooped back to the front of the classroom and began to pretend to check papers, though his eyes weren't moving as they would were he reading. Every few seconds, he would shoot one of the boys or the other a look, then continue to 'check' papers.  
  
And so it continued till the end of the period. When the magical bell rang, students streamed out the door, glad to be out of the opressing dungeons. All except Harry. He sat looking very small in the large dungeons, with no one else there. Snape advanced on him.  
  
"I hear you've got quite the thing for Mister Malfoy," said Snape.  
  
"I wouldn't call it a thing, exactly," Harry replied, trying not to quail under the piercing eye of the Professor.  
  
"What would you call it then, might I ask?" Snape crossed his arms.  
  
"Who says you have to call it anything?" a new voice retorted from out of the gloom of the dungeons. Draco appeared out of the darkness. Snape glanced from one to the other.  
  
"I take it this has to do with the soulmate crap Trelawney was pulling yesterday?" he finally asked.  
  
"This," said Draco, "has got nothing to do with the 'soulmate crap Trelawney was pulling yesterday'. This has got to do with -"  
  
"This has got to do with nothing that concerns you," interjected Harry, standing up. "We're late for class, so if you'll excuse us..." With that, Harry turned and left the dungeons, leaving a very surprised Snape behind. Draco ran to catch up.  
  
"Thanks," said Draco, "because I would have felt stupid standing there without a comeback. It's a good thing you interrupted." Harry said nothing, just looked troubled. "Ah, come on! I'm doing my best to try to prove myself to you - humility, by the way isn't very easy for a Malfoy to show - and you just sit there looking like your dog got run over!" Harry sighed and flopped against the stone wall.  
  
"It's just....kind of a lot for me, okay?" said Harry quietly. "You have to give me some time."  
  
"Time," said Draco softly back, "is something of which I have all in the world of, for you." With that, he turned and disappeared down the corridor. Harry sighed again and headed toward the Gryffindor Common Room. Though he was supposed to have Herbology right then, Harry really didn't feel like going to class. Instead, he reached the Tower and entered, heading up to the Boys' Dorm and flopping on his bed.  
  
Half an hour later, Ron exploded into the room. "Harry?" he asked. Harry yanked aside the curtains to his bed, where he had been sketching.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked.  
  
"Why haven't you come to Herbology? Professor Sprout thinks you're lying dead in the hallway or something, and Hermione thinks Professor Snape still had you." Ron looked at Harry very seriously.  
  
"Why does Professor Sprout think I'm dead in the hallway?" asked Harry curiously. Ron shrugged.  
  
"She didn't say. Want me to tell her you're feeling a bit ill and that you wanted to rest?"  
  
"Yes, please," said Harry, nodding. "But don't let her think I need to go to the Hospital Wing, because I don't!" Ron grinned, gave Harry the thumbs- up sign, and exited the dorm. Harry went back to his sketching.  
  
That afternoon, at afternoon break, Harry went up to the Owlrey to see Hedwig.  
  
"Send this for me, okay?" he asked the owl. Hedwig looked at the recipient's name and looked at Harry as though he must be crazy. "Please, Hedwig? I need you to take this to someone, okay? Please?" Hedwig just looked at him with the same look. "Fine, I'll use Audax." He walked over to the section of the Owlrey that contained the Slytherin students' owls. Hedwig gave Harry an offended look and flew up into the rafters. "Well, you wouldn't go, so what else can I do?"  
  
Audax glared at Harry suspiciously as he walked over. "Audax, will you send something to someone for me?" The owl hopped away as Harry neared him. "Hey, you remember me, Draco sent you with a letter to me last night!" Audax stared at him for a moment. Harry sighed. "Look, my owl won't send it, so you're my last option, okay?" Audax almost seemed to sigh as he hopped back over closer to Harry. Harry grinned and bound the parchment to the impatient owl's leg and watched as it zoomed out of the window. From across the owlrey, Hedwig gave Harry a very offended hoot. Harry shrugged at her and left the Owlrey.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
A knocking sound startled Draco out of his thoughts moments later. The sound was coming from the dorm room's only window, so he stood up and opened it. Audax flew in in a flurry of golden feathers, landed on the desk, and stuck his leg out impatiently.  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming," said Draco as he walked over and unbound the scroll from the owl's leg. Audax hooted and flew out the window. Draco unrolled the parchment curiously, sitting down on his bed. Nobody ever used his own owl to send things to him; nobody was able to send anything with the temperamental owl.  
  
Another scroll fell out of the first scroll as Draco finished unrolling it. He raised an eyebrow and picked the second scroll up. A smaller roll fell out of the second one, and a fourth out of the third. Three more times this happened, until finally Draco thought, *If there is one more single scroll in there, I'm trashing all the parchments and forgetting about the whole thing.*  
  
He unrolled the last one and no more scrolls fell out. Instead, there was a tiny, tiny sketch of a boy, sitting nestled in the front legs of a dragon, asleep. The drawing was no more than an inch on each side, and was charmed in wizard fashion so that the boy's chest rose slowly up and down as he slept, and the dragon glared at Draco as though daring him to wake the boy up. Draco smiled and peered closer at the picture. While the boy's face was no larger than the fingernail on his little pinky, he could still make out the shape of round black glasses and a lightning bolt scar on the boy's forehead.  
  
Draco set down the drawing and picked up the seven sheets of parchment. Each one had a different word written on it.  
  
"Monday," read the first one. "Tuesday," said the second. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all had a sheet of parchment, too. Other than the days, the parchments were totally blank, except for one. Draco picked up the "Saturday" parchment and looked at it curiously. Something was a bit different about it, though it wasn't readily apparent as to what, exactly, was different.  
  
After a moment, a smoky green ink began to scribble itself across the parchment. Draco gathered that the writing was Harry's, a messy, untidy scrawl that fitted him perfectly. After a moment, the writing was complete. It read, "What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies." Draco smiled and set the parchment on the bed next to him. He looked at the others for a moment, then set them with the first. Draco wondered where to put them so that they wouldn't be found.  
  
Just then, Blaise Zabini burst into the dorm. Draco started and grabbed all of the parchments together, holding them so that the headers couldn't be seen.  
  
"Yo, Draco," Blaise said. "Time for class. You coming?" Draco nodded.  
  
"Just let me get this stuff put away," he replied. Blaise watched closely as Draco straightened the sheets up. "You can go on ahead," Draco said pointedly. "I'll be down in a minute." The other boy nodded and left the dorm. Draco looked around for a minute, then lifted up his mattress and stuck the papers under it. Smoothing the bedsheets and comforter back into place, he surveyed the bed critically. After a moment, Draco nodded with satisfaction, picked up his wand and bag, and left the dorm.  
  
(A/N: I've seen Blaise written as a male and a female. I looked it up on Parentsoup.com and according to their lil name finder thingy, Blaise is a guy's name. Just for clarification.)  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later, Draco was gathered outside with a few other Slytherins outside of Hagrid's hut, waiting for the said teacher to arrive. Several Gryffindors were also present, though Draco did not see Harry anywhere. Another few minutes passed, and Hagrid arrived. He set them to work feeding Jobberknolls at very small tables set in rows. The tables were so small that only one person could work at each table.  
  
"Hey, look," said Blaise suddenly, turning around. "It's the Potter boy. Got any ideas for what we should do to him today?" Draco made an indistinct noise and turned around. Sure enough, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were running toward the Care of Magical Creatures class frantically. They approached Hagrid, gave a small slip of parchment to them, and sat at the three unoccupied desks.  
  
Harry set to work mashing up crickets for his Jobberknoll to eat. He thought he felt something mess with his hair, though Harry supposed it could have been the wind. Harry offered the crickets to the small bird in front of him, and he noticed it again: a slight ruffle in his hair. Harry turned around and saw Draco sitting behind him, busy with his own Jobberknoll. Harry raised an eyebrow and turned back around. Not five seconds later, he felt it again, and this time he turned around rather quickly, catching Draco before he withdrew his arm.  
  
"Malfoy," hissed Harry quietly. "You're distracting me from my work!" Draco smirked.  
  
"That was the intent, Potter," replied Draco, returning to his Jobberknoll. After a moment, he looked up and saw Harry still peering at him. "Yes, can I help you?" asked the Slytherin, still smirking. Harry blinked, then shook himself mentally and turned around. Draco continued smirking.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
Odd ending! ^^; But I kinda got carried away and was just typing and typing and typing....anyway! ^__^; Thanks to leia3000 and amberle akira elessia for helping me with this chap and the whole fic in general. If you liked the help they gave me (which, I know you do, riiiight?!), then thank them by reading their stories! =D Okay, next chap coming when I get inspiration for it...which hopefully will be today or tomorrow. 


	8. Concerning Blaise Zabini

Title: Concerning Blaise Zabini  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: Hi all! Another chapter for you guys! I will be working on some more shortly, so make sure you check back, okie?! ^_^  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
The next morning at breakfast, Draco took his usual seat near the head of the table and tried to ignore Pansy Parkinson as he surveyed the Slytherins. Something - or someone - was missing. Since he couldn't place it right at that moment, Draco shrugged and began eating. It wasn't until nearly half an hour later that Draco realised what was missing: Blaise Zabini.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Back in the Slytherin dorm, the missing Slytherin was currently rummaging through a trunk; not, of course, his own, but Draco's. After searching it thoroughly (and after pocketing quite a few items for his own use), Blaise straightened up and glanced around. He next looked through the items on the shelf above Draco's bed with no luck. Before leaving, Blaise cast his eyes around one more time and started to leave the room. As he did so, however, something caught his eye. A tiny corner of parchment was poking out from under Draco's mattress. Blaise grabbed it and headed down the stairs. In the common room, he sat in a large green armchair and looked at the single sheet.  
  
It read: "Sunday: Never frown, because you never know who may be watching you smile," in a messy, grey-green scrawl. The hand was familiar to Blaise - as though he had seen it before, though he could not place where. He started looking through his bag, thinking perhaps he had seen it during one of his many conversations-via-notes. Before he could properly get started with his search, however, the rest of the House came back from breakfast and it was time for classes to begin. (A/N: They have one class on Sunday, two on Saturday, and anywhere from three to six on the weekdays. Just so you know.)  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Harry rummaged through his bag, looking for his Potions notes from the day before. "Ron, have you seen my notes?" Ron looked up from his conversation with Hermione.  
  
"What, have you lost them?"  
  
"Obviously," said Harry, gesturing toward the contents of his freshly- emptied bag. "Can I use yours, then?" Ron shrugged at Harry and turned his attention back to Hermione.  
  
Across the room, Draco was seated at a table with Blaise. Blaise's notes were spread out on the table as he made cheat-sheet copies to sell. Draco snatched one of the papers.  
  
"This isn't your handwriting," he said, glancing at it. Blaise snatched it back.  
  
"Of course not," Blaise said, tucking it back into place. "They're Potter's notes, I stole them yesterday. Why make your own notes when you can steal someone else's?" Draco shrugged at him and turned back to his own (legitimate) notes. Blaise continued copying, but not even a minute later, he began to realise that the writing was awfully familiar. It took him a moment, but finally it dawned on him; Blaise dove for his bag and fished the piece of parchment out of it. The writing on the parchment and the writing on the notes was from the same person. "Yo, Draco," said Blaise. "Why's Potter writing you?" Draco started.  
  
"What? He's not writing to me!" he said defensively. Blaise stuck the 'Sunday' parchment under Draco's nose.  
  
"Then why did you have this hidden in your room?" he asked. Draco snatched the parchment and shoved it into his bag.  
  
"I stole it from him," lied Draco. "Him and the Weasel and the Mudblood were passing it around like it was important, so I grabbed it when they weren't looking. Figured it was important."  
  
"You shouldn't steal," commented Blaise, turning back to his notes.  
  
"You should talk," mumbled Draco as he continued studying.  
  
Blaise, however, wasn't entirely convinced. Why would an old piece of parchment with a sappy quote seem important? *The quote is so worn out by now,* thought Blaise, *that Potter is obviously slow on the uptake, and if Draco thought it was significant, then he obviously is, too. Anyone could know that a piece of parchment with a day of the week on it is just some rubbish. I think there's more to this than meets the eye. And I'm going to figure out what it is, too.*  
  
As soon as Potions was over, Blaise shot out of the dungeon and made for the Slytherin dorm; fortunately, he didn't have too far to go. He immediately went up the stairs and to Draco's bed, where he had found the first parchment. There, he discovered seven more parchments, though all that six of them had on them were days of the week. The last parchment, however, was immensely more interesting to Blaise.  
  
It depicted a dragon walking around with a boy on its back. Squinting, Blaise could see that the boy was obviously the Potter boy, as he wore round glasses, and had ugly black hair and an unsightly scar on his forehead. Blaise pocketed the drawing.  
  
Mere moments later, Draco came in as well.  
  
"Give it to me, Blaise," said Draco quietly. Blaise feigned innocence.  
  
"Give...what to you, sorry?"  
  
"You know what of mine you've got, and I'm not asking you again to give it to me."  
  
"Oh, this?" asked Blaise, holding up the drawing and waving it around. "I just found it on the floor. Did you draw it?" Draco was dangerously silent. "Or, perhaps, did Potter draw it? It was with those parchments of Potter's. So why, pray tell, have you got a drawing that Potter made, of a dragon," he paused to give the word 'dragon' special meaning, "a dragon and a Potter?"  
  
"I stole it, with the other parchments. See, there was a meaning. It means poor little Potter's fallen for a Slytherin. How sweet; good thing the particular Slytherin's not going to give dishonour to the House and be stupid enough to fall for some random half-mudblood."  
  
"So, then," said Blaise, "would you mind if I kept this? Would you mind if I posted it up? Would you mind if I....threw it into the fire?"  
  
"I would indeed," replied Draco. "I happen to have a plan regarding this parchment. And so, since Malfoys show mercy on those they wish to, I shall ask you one more time to give me the sheet. Otherwise, I must remind you that I happen to know more curses and hexes than you do. Including the Unforgiveables. Nobody knows you're here, do they? I thought not," he said, as Blaise held the parchment out to him. Draco reached for it, and as he placed his hands on it, Blaise jerked upward, tearing the parchment in half. He smirked and waltzed out the door, waving cheerily after him.  
  
Draco picked up the parchment, muttered the words 'Reparo parchment', and set it lovingly on the shelf. For a long moment, Draco sadly looked at the scar running across the parchment from where it had been torn moments earlier, then he turned and left the dorm. He had business to settle elsewhere now.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: Thanks to Shadow for pointing out that stupid mistake! ^_^ I do that all the time, make really weird typoes... 


	9. Concerning Invisibility Cloaks

Title: Concerning Invisibility Cloaks  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: I've finally worked more on the story! Go me! So, sorry to do this again, but if you've read the story already, you may need to reread it since I've changed it a small bit and tweaked a few things.  
  
~*~  
  
Blaise Zabini snuck off to the washrooms on the second floor of the castle, completely aware of Draco Malfoy following him. He entered one of the stalls and rummaged around in his bag, pulling out a silvery Invisibility Cloak. Just as he threw it on and crawled out under the stall door, Draco entered the washroom. Blaise ducked out of the door as it swung shut. He smiled as he listened to the faint sounds of the blonde Slytherin searching the stalls, then cursing as he realised Blaise had escaped; it was just too easy to manipulate predictable people. Blaise was known throughout the school as a gossipmonger and he knew that Draco knew it – that was why Draco was following him.  
  
Blaise continued down a corridor with the Invisibility Cloak on. He found himself suddenly at the end of a hall, staring at a painting of a lady in pink. Blaise was about to turn to go back the way he came when the painting swung slowly away from the wall and several dozen students emerged from a hole behind it. The students were wearing red and yellow scarves. *Gryffindors,* Blaise thought, smiling to himself. *What luck some people have!*  
  
As the last people exited the hole, Blaise scuttled forward and squeezed through as the portrait hole closed. After walking down a short stone tunnel, he emerged into a round oak room paneled with highly polished oak. All around were squashy armchairs, heavily upholstered in red with gold trim and a crackling fire danced merrily in a fireplace on one side of the room. Blaise spotted a stairway on the far side of the room and crept carefully toward it. So intent was he on getting to the stairs that Blaise stepped on a pile of 'Witch Weekly' magazines. The glossy magazines slid out from under him. Blaise went down hard. From above his head, he heard an annoyed 'meow'.  
  
"Crookshanks!" came a voice. Blaise look up at the speaker and saw that it was Potter's bushy-haired Mudblood friend. He held his breath and clutched the Cloak tighter as two hands reached down and gently picked up the cat. "What are you doing down here? You're supposed to be in the dormitory! Come on, then, back upstairs with you!" The voice faded as she walked toward the stairway. Blaise let out the breath he had been holding, picked himself up off the floor and continued toward the stairs.  
  
As he reached the landing, he collided straight into the girl coming down the stairs. Blaise cursed inwardly and fled up the stairs opposite the ones the girl had been coming down; he hoped they led to the Boys' Dormitory. The girl he had bumped into stood staring after him, nonplussed.  
  
"Harry?" she asked. Blaise ignored her and ducked into the door at the top of the stairs. After all, the girl knew he was there already; there was no point in pretending he wasn't. Blaise yanked off the Cloak and slid down the door to sit on the floor, breathing heavily.  
  
"So....Potter's got a cloak too, has he?" he said to himself. "Best let the Mudblood think I'm Potter and be done with it." Blaise let himself catch his breath for a moment, then stood up. Moving from bed to bed, he finally located Potter's. "Alohamora," Blaise whispered, unlocking the trunk at the end of the bed. After rifling through it and taking note of the numerous dragon sketches, he closed the trunk and locked it with his wand.  
  
Next, Blaise crept carefully out of the dormitory and into the girls' one. He knew that the bushy-headed girl usually carried a lot of books around, so he searched for the trunk with a lot of books in it. Once he found it, he rifled through that trunk, too. Just as Blaise was about to give up and leave, a small scarlet book in the corner of the trunk caught his eye. Blaise picked it up and opened it to the bookmarked page.  
  
"Artists often use common symbolism to represent hidden desires. Dragons often symbolise the masked desire for change, often change that once done cannot be undone. So that's what's with Potter and the dragons. Isn't that cute? Looks like a little Gryffindor is in love with a Slytherin." Blaise smiled wryly and replaced everything he had moved. Picking up his cloak and throwing it around him, Blaise left the room. Fortunately, he managed to get out of Gryffindor Tower without any further mishaps.  
  
***  
  
Ten minutes later, Blaise was back in the Slytherin dungeons, reviewing all the information he had collected. A noise from the doorway drew him out of his thoughts. Standing in the doorway was Draco.  
  
"Where've you been?" asked the blonde Slytherin. "You were gone all evening."  
  
"I've been doing research," replied Blaise coolly, aware of the suspicion etched subtly on Draco's face.  
  
"Yeah?" Draco asked, a bit too casually. "This research included going into washrooms and disappearing, does it?" Blaise arranged his face into a practised look of polite confusion.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, "but I've not been to the washroom since breakfast, and I believe you were with me at the time." (A/N: NOT like that....unless you want. ^_~) Blaise stood and drew the shutters closed around his bed. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Idle curiosity," Draco replied with an equally practised smile. "You know it's time for dinner, right? Let's go on down for dinner; I'm hungry."  
  
"Okay," said Blaise, moving toward the door. Draco began to head out, then turned back toward the room.  
  
"You go on down, I need to grab a library book. I'll be down in a moment." Blaise shrugged and went down the stairs. As soon as he was gone, Draco rolled his eyes and turned to Blaise's bed. Draco had not missed how Blaise had closed the shutters when Draco glanced over to Blaise's bed before. The boy was obviously hiding something. Draco touched the shutters. There was a 'click' as an un-openable lock locked itself. Draco removed his hand and the lock unlocked.  
  
"Clever, Zabini," Draco said to himself. He walked over to his own bed and withdrew his broomstick from his trunk. He mounted it and rose to the ceiling. Draco flew to the bed, hovered upside down over it, and dropped onto the bed. "But not clever enough."  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC 


	10. Concerning Chess and Kitchen Raids

Title: Concerning Chess and Kitchen Raids  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: Thanks yet again to my reviewers! Special, special, special thanks goes out to tsukasa, tealish and leia3000 for their ideas on what to do with the fic. Silly me, I never thought of making Blaise the bad guy! ^_^;;  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
"Check," said Harry.  
  
"Tsk, tsk. Checking with a pawn; have I taught you nothing?" wondered Ron, easily taking the pawn out with a bishop. "Check."  
  
"You really should be studying," scolded Hermione. "NEWTs are coming up soon, and at the rate you two are going, you'll fail them!"  
  
"Ah, come off it, Hermione! NEWTs aren't until May, it's only February! Besides, you're not studying," said Ron, eyeing Hermione, her copy of 'Art in the Wizarding World' in hand.  
  
"At least I'M doing something productive," Hermione said, smoothly shutting the book.  
  
"What, you're saying chess isn't productive?" Ron looked offended. "Chess teaches you cunning and slyness, it teaches you ruthlessness and humility, it teaches you - "  
  
"All right, all right!" said Hermione, holding her hands up. "You talk like it was an army corps or something!"  
  
"What, it's not?" Ron blinked owlishly at Hermione. "Harry, I'm hungry. What's say we go to the kitchens to get something to eat!"  
  
"You're always hungry," said Harry. "But then, so'm I, so I can't talk."  
  
"It's only ten o clock!" Hermione prostested. "You can wait two hours till lunch, can't you?"  
  
"But I'm hungry now," Ron said. "Not hungry two hours from now. Let's go, Harry. You coming, Hermione?" Hermione shook her head, and the two boys stood up and left the common room.  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
An hour and a kitchen raid later, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Harry were sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room building castles from their Exploding Snap cards and trying to ignore Hermione's naggings about schoolwork. A sudden loud noise from the Entrance Portrait startled everyone. Indeed, the noise startled Ron so badly that he jumped, knocked over the castle, and was rewarded with loud blasts sounding directly in his ear.  
  
From the short entrace tunnel emerged a figure. If the blond hair wasn't enough to tell you who the person was, they were also wearing a large silver and green scarf.  
  
"Malfoy," said Ron, trying to put the sparks in his hair out, "how'd you get in here?"  
  
"Wouldn't you love to know," Draco sneered back. "I came to talk to Potter." He held up a wad of parchments, a charcoal sketch on top. Seamus gave a curious glance toward Harry; Hermione sucked her breath in sharply and glanced at Ron. He looked nonplussed, Hermione noted with relief. Harry stood up.  
  
"First of all, before I do anything with you, you're going to be civil to my friends," he said forcefully. Draco shrugged amusedly.  
  
"You know where I stay then, if you want to hear what I have to say." With that, Draco grinned coyly at Harry, then turned and disappeared back down the entrance tunnel. Harry hesitated for half a second, glanced at Ron and the others, then hurried down the hole after him.  
  
"Draco!" Harry burst out of the portrait hole and slammed directly into the blond Slytherin.  
  
"Yes?" Draco asked.  
  
"You said you had something to tell me," Harry said, stepping down from the slight ledge outside of the Fat Lady's portrait. "And I'm here, so tell me." Draco held the parchments up and selected the drawing of the dragon.  
  
"Notice anything about it?" Harry looked carefully at it, then noticed the scar on the parchment. He ran a finger down the length of the scar.  
  
"What happened to it?" Harry asked quietly. Draco related the story of Blaise stealing Harry's Potion notes, and how Blaise connected the week parchments with Harry, and that Blaise was growing suspicious. When Draco finished and stopped talking, Harry sighed and slid down the wall to sit down on the ledge.  
  
"Also, I searched Blaise's area in our dorm and found this," Draco said, holding up the Invisibility Cloak Blaise had earlier. "It was on his bed. He obviously was trying to hide it when I came in the room." He started to say more, but just then Seamus stuck his head out of the portrait hole.  
  
"Oi! Harry! If you're going to play Exploding Snap with us again, you'd better come back double quick!" Harry nodded at Seamus.  
  
"Keep an eye on him, will you? I don't know what he's up to, but if he does anything, owl me or something, okay?" Draco smiled at Harry.  
  
"Sure thing, Harry." He watched as the two Gryffindors disappeared into the portrait hole, then turned and walked down the hall.  
  
Inside the portrait tunnel, Seamus stopped suddenly and eyed Harry thoughtfully.  
  
"What?" asked Harry, turning.  
  
"You two would make a cute couple," Seamus said. Harry smacked him on the arm.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
Bad ending, yes, but I really need to do other things cos I've spent all evening working on the story. More coming later! ^_^ 


	11. Concerning Mirrors and Reflections

Title: Concerning Mirrors and Reflections  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's Day this year. What happens when she bewitches roses to lead you to your soul mate? (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. *points to JKR* Hers.  
  
A/N: Yay!! 151 reviews! I feel so luvvered!! *huggles all of her reviewers* This chap's for you! ....Just like all the others, I reckon...enjoy!  
  
A/N II: I know I messed up with the timing...the story is supposed to start on a Thursday, Valentine's Day is supposed to be Friday, Potions and the day scrolls on Saturday, and so on and so forth. But I'm lazy and just made Friday and Saturday one day. So nyah. ^_^ It's not specifically mentioned, and no one but ME could notice it...but they have Divination on Wednesday and Saturday...not Wednesday and Thursday...my bad. =p I'm still not changing it.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
Harry and Seamus entered the common room and were quickly dealt their hands for Exploding Snap (A/N: Don't you love it when someone says "Exploding Snape"? XD). The game of Exploding Snap involved putting certain cards on top of certain piles and trying to get rid of your hand before anyone else or before the piles exploded. It was a complicated game, but luckily everyone playing knew how to play it. Halfway through the first game, however, Harry found that he could not concentrate at all. He put his hand into the central 'Hat Pile', excused himself, and left the room via the dormitory stairwell.  
  
Several minutes later, Hermione also excused herself as well and headed towards the dorms. She knocked on the door to the boys' dorm and waited. A moment later, Harry's head poked out of it.  
  
"Oh...hi, Hermione. I was just going to come downstairs to talk to you, but I didn't want to interrupt your game," he said.  
  
"It's okay," Hermione replied. "I needed to talk to you, too." Harry opened the door wider and motioned for the bushy haired girl to come in. "You didn't come in Gryffindor Tower in your Invisibility Cloak earlier, did you?"  
  
"No, I haven't used it since Ron and I raided the kitchen at New Years', and I took it off before we reached the Tower...why?" Hermione frowned, then proceeded to tell Harry exactly what happened.  
  
"I think," she said slowly, finishing her tale, "that we need to talk to Malfoy."  
  
***  
  
The two didn't get a chance to get away from the group until much later that evening. Hermione and Harry sat outside of the Slytherin dungeons under the Invisibility Cloak, waiting for a Slytherin to open the door. The two Gryffindors hoped to sneak in as the entrace hole closed, or to hear the password as someone gave it. However, such rule-breaking was not nessecary, because the first person to appear was none other than Draco Malfoy. As soon as the portrait hole was completely closed, Harry snuck up to him and put an invisible hand over the blond Slytherin's mouth.  
  
"Draco," Harry hissed, "We need to talk." Draco looked around for the invisible Harry.  
  
"Harry?" he asked, the hand removed from his mouth. Harry pushed the cloak away from his face so that it was visible.  
  
"We need to talk," he said again. "Follow us."  
  
"Us?" asked Draco, but the sound of invisible footsteps was already fading away. Draco shook his head and hurried after them. The footsteps soon proved hard to follow, however, so Draco halted and called out to Harry. "This is too hard," he complained. "Can't you find another way to lead me?" The air gave no response for a moment or two, but eventually a faint humming song could be heard a few feet away. Draco followed the quiet song down a hallway, up some stairs, and through a door. The air near him shimmered and Harry and Hermione became visible.  
  
"Sorry for grabbing you," said Harry, "and for being under the cloak and all, but I didn't think a Slytherin would want to be caught roaming the halls with a couple of Gryffindors."  
  
"It's okay," Draco said, smiling. "Just...next time, say something first, okay? I thought you were Blaise for a second." Hermione opened her mouth as though to say something, then seemed to think better and closed it. Draco and Harry looked at her. "What?" asked Draco.  
  
"Blaise....he has an Inivisibility Cloak?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Yes," Draco said. "He got it for Christmas a few years ago. Why?" Hermione shook her head.  
  
"Have you seen him doing anything strange lately?" Draco glanced at Harry, who nodded almost imperceptibly.  
  
"Actually," said Draco, "I have. Slytherins, as a general rule, don't trust anyone, while always seeing ways to betray their friends. Blaise in particular is very much a Slytherin. He steals, lies, cheats, if it's nasty, Blaise probably does it. I suppose the first odd thing he did was to begin stealing class notes to recopy and sell to people. This in itself isn't strange, as most Slytherins will do anything for money. What WAS odd, however, was that he was very particular about whose notes he stole. He only stole my notes, and he only stole your notes, Harry. He stopped taking mine after I made it clear that I wouldn't put up with it. But instead of choosing someone else to steal from, to make up the difference, he continued to steal only yours." There was a small silence. Then:  
  
"But that's not right...Ron has been trying to use my notes for years and still hasn't figured my handwriting out. Even the teachers can't read my writing, unless I write in print." Draco frowned.  
  
"I can read your writing," he said. "But then, everything you've written that I've read was in print - your notes were not. This is very interesting." Draco then filled them in on what happened in the hallway the day Blaise disappeared in the washroom.  
  
"That was the day that someone was in Gryffindor Tower with a cloak! At first, I thought it was Harry, but he says he hasn't used his cloak since New Years'. Also, that same day, someone was in the girls' dorm. They were in my trunk."  
  
"How do you know?" asked Harry curiously.  
  
"Because there is a spell on my trunk that records whoever goes into it," she explained. "Plus, the little thread I wedged into the lid was gone."  
  
"You stuck a thread in the lid?" asked Draco incredulously.  
  
"Slytherins are not the only distrustful ones," Hermione said bluntly. Draco pouted at Hermione.  
  
"I know that, Granger," he said in a falsely hurt voice. Harry smiled faintly to himself and began pacing the room. After a few moments of silence, Hermione finally said something.  
  
"I propose we watch him, see what he does, and - Harry, could you sit down?? You're making me nervous!" Harry sat down and began jiggling his foot. "I think," Hermione continued, "that I read about a tracking spell somewhere, though I seem to remember it being very difficult. I'll have to look it up again. Until then, I think you should try to figure out why Blaise likes Harry's notes so much, Malfoy." Draco nodded.  
  
"Anyone have any other ideas?" he asked. Harry and Hermione shook their heads. In mid-shake, however, Harry froze, thenthrew the cloak over himself and Hermione.  
  
"It's Blaise," he hissed. The two Gryffindors held their breath as Blaise entered the room.  
  
"Hello, Draco," said Blaise in a falsely pleasant tone that fooled no one.  
  
"Hello, Zabini," replied Draco in an equally false, if better concealed, voice. Only Harry could tell he was not sincere.  
  
"Where is Potter?" asked Blaise walking further into the room. "I saw him just a moment ago, in that mirror. The second I came into the room and saw you, the reflection disappeared. He is here, in an Invisibility Cloak!" (A/N: He sounded SO Snape just then! XD) Blaise narrowed his eyes at Draco, who returned a glare so fierce that Harry was surprised Blaise hadn't fallen over from it.  
  
"You sure like talking about Potter a lot, Blaise...," said Draco calmly.  
  
"No, I don't. Besides, you're the one who is always nancing about with him these days," Blaise shot back. Draco continued as though the other Slytherin hadn't said a word.  
  
"...And as for your question, I have no earthly idea where Potter is. Why should I? Perhaps you are seeing things, as well, for I have done no nancing, as you call it, with or without Potter. Maybe you should visit Madam Pomfrey and get your eyes checked." Blaise sneered, uncrossed his arms, and slunk out of the room. Draco went to the door and looked out of it as Harry and Hermione removed the cloak.  
  
"How did you know it was Blaise?" asked Draco. "You were behind the door."  
  
"I saw him in the mirror in the corner when we were moving away from the door when Blaise was pushing it farther open. He must have had his cloak, because he just appeared on the glass." Harry paused. "I need to do some research. Do what you can, okay?"  
  
"It's getting late Harry...you need to get sleep before you do anything," Hermione suggested gently. As if to prove her right, Harry felt suddenly tired and yawned widely.  
  
"Granger's right," Draco agreed. "Let's meet here again tomorrow during morning break. I'll watch Blaise until then." Harry nodded.  
  
"Thanks," he said. He threw the invisibility cloak over Hermione, then ducked under it himself. Invisible footsteps shuffled through the door and faded. Draco, after a moment, walked out of the room as well and headed to his dormitory.  
  
Not long after, the mirror in the room hummed quietly as it displayed images to a cloaked unseen figure crouched in front of it. Blaise Zabini had discovered the wonders of the Mirror of Erised.  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
A/N: I'm so slow. I've just now realised that "Erised" backwards is "Desire". Aptly named, I guess. I had a lot of time while I was in In- School Suspension to write, so I've written three more chapters. Go me! I'll be typing them up and releasing them in the course of the next few weeks. I've actually got a real plot now, isn't that great! ^_^ Sorry it took me so long to update again, but I had to redo my website as the green was getting on my nerves. 


	12. Concerning Plot Development

Title: Concerning Plot Development  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's day this year, but her roses (supposed to lead you to happiness and your true soul mate) seem to bring more trouble than they're worth! (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. It owns me.  
  
A/N: Aww, I'm getting spoiled. ^_~ I only got nine reviews this time! Thanks to my reviewers, I really AM going to catch up on thanking you-all, really I am!  
  
A/N II: I was actually thinking of giving up the story, since I was uninspired, but I can't possibly abandon it now, not after I've been called a 'great addition to the slash fandom'! *feels special* Okay, the actual note I was putting here is this: Blaise is apparently a Greek name, so I'm assuming he's of some Greek origin; therefore his skin is kinda...er...olive? Darker than other Europeans'? *shrug* I'm horrible with adjectives. You get it, though, right? ^^;  
  
~*~  
  
-Very late the next night, in the Slytherin dorm-  
  
Blaise was ashamed. Shame is not an emotion easily had by Slytherins, yet nonetheless, Blaise was ashamed. For the past twenty four hours, he had been thinking about nothing but what the Mirror had shown him. The Mirror, Blaise knew, was taunting him...showing him what he wanted - exactly what he wanted - but what he knew he couldn't have.  
  
He turned over in his bed and punched his pillow. From the other side of the room came the sound of two people snoring stupidly, probably Crabbe and Goyle. *It's remarkable,* Blaise thought to himself, *how someone can sound stupid even in their sleep.* There was no sound coming from Draco's side of the room, though this may or may not have been due to lack of sleep. Draco was often a quiet sleeper, but just as often awake and watching the dorm. Blaise didn't want to risk angering the blond Slytherin further - he was already on his bad side, and on his way to being on his downright "To Kill" list. It didn't bear thinking about. Blaise sighed and sat up, pulling his Invisibility Cloak from under his pillow. He quickly threw it on, fastened it, and climbed over the shutters surrounding his bed, so as not to have to open them and let anyone know he was exiting. A few moments later found Blaise slipping out the castle doors. The doors shut quietly behind him, and he walked down the gently sloping lawn toward the lake.  
  
Blaise took a seat near a willow tree and waited patiently. A few moments passed. Some crickets chirped. And then, a cloaked figure descended from a tower window, sliding easily down the ivy growing up the castle walls. Blaise watched the figure as it, too, walked down the lawn toward the lake. However, they turned toward the far side of the lake and sat down on the dock. Blaise watched quietly for a moment, then stood up and headed to the dock himself. The Mirror had convinced him, more than ever, to not sit around and let Draco get what should be (he thought) rightfully his.  
  
"Potter," said Blaise quietly. The Gryffindor turned. A look passed quickly across Harry's face when he registered who it was, then just as quickly disappeared. Blaise quirked an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Zabini," returned Harry coolly. Blaise settled himself at the end of the dock alongside Harry, who in turn ungraciously scooted a few inches away.  
  
"You're up late," Blaise commented, not seeming to notice Harry's lack of friendliness. Harry eyed the darker boy suspiciously.  
  
"As are you," Harry said. "What do you want, Zabini?" Blaise shook his head.  
  
"Nothing wrong with making a little conversation, is there?"  
  
"So make it with one of your Slytherin friends and at some time other than the middle of the night." Harry stood and made to leave the dock.  
  
"You sure haven't got a problem with making conversation with Draco," said Blaise simply, making Harry freeze in his tracks.  
  
"You don't know anything about that, Blaise, so get your nose out of my business," snapped Harry angrily.  
  
"I thought it was the Gryffindors who wanted to ease the tension between themselves and Slytherin," Blaise said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He moved closer to Harry, who backed away. "Aren't they?" he asked, moving closer. Harry shook his head and backed away further. He was now teetering on the very edge of the dock. "That's sure the impression I got, with you running around, trying to impress Draco all the time," he said, leaning closer to the cornered Gryffindor. The said Gryffindor shook his head again, somewhat more frantically this time.  
  
"I don't try to impress him," Harry said. "There isn't anything going on between us."  
  
Blaise's voice dropped lower, to a whisper, as he leaned closer to the other boy. "Are you sure?"  
  
***  
  
-in the Gryffindor common room, very late-  
  
"Hermione!" hissed Ron. "Hermione! Wake up!"  
  
Hermione blinked sleepily and looked up from the large pile of books she had been studying in the common room. The embers of the fire had burned to nearly nothing, and the magical clock in the corner was quietly informing the almost empty room that it was three-o-clock AM.  
  
"Hmm...what? I wasn't sleeping, I promise," she said drowsily. Ron rolled his eyes.  
  
"Hermione, Harry's missing," Ron said. Hermione blinked at him.  
  
"What? Why are you awake at three o clock in the morning?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep," the red-headed boy replied shortly. "Didn't you hear me? I said Harry's missing!" Hermione finally woke up enough to figure out what Ron was saying and stood up quickly. As she stood, she knocked the table and several books tumbled off of it. Hermione cringed at the noise and bent over to pick up the books. "Forget the books, Herm. Come on!" Ron grabbed her hand and drug her out the entrance tunnel to Gryffindor tower.  
  
  
  
***  
  
-back at the lake-  
  
"Are you sure Draco is who you want?" asked Blaise silkily, moving even closer to Harry.  
  
"Get away from me. I told you, it's not anything like that," said Harry. Blaise raised his hand and placed it on the other boy's cheek.  
  
"Good," he purred. "More for me."  
  
  
  
***  
  
-in the Slytherin dorm-  
  
Draco couldn't sleep. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, telling him that all was not right with the world. He stretched, sat up, and promptly knocked his head on the shelf above his bed. The contents of it came tumbling noisily down on top of him. From the next beds over, he heard two sleepy grunts that indicated Crabbe and Goyle were still asleep. There was no noise from Blaise's side of the room, however.  
  
*Odd,* thought Draco. *Zabini is a light sleeper. I'm surprised he didn't wake up, what with all the noise.* His suspicion awakened, Draco noiselessly opened the shutters around his bed and padded to the other side of the small dorm. There was no noise from inside Blaise's bedshutters.  
  
Draco carefully pulled on one of the slats on the shutter. It popped out quietly, and he peered inside the barrier to the bed. There was nobody in it.  
  
The Slytherin quickly threw on some school robes and headed for the common room. He crossed the common room and had just reached the beginning of the stairs leading up to the main dungeon hallway when a voice stopped him short.  
  
"Dracy, dear, why are you leaving the dungeon at three in the morning?" Draco rolled his eyes at the wall and turned to face the speaker.  
  
"Because, Pansy, darling, I was hungry and wanted a midnight snack," he replied gracefully, using the pet name Pansy insisted Draco call her at all times.  
  
"Take me with you," said Pansy. "I'm hungry, too!"  
  
"I would, Pansy," he said, "but I was going to get a very, very big special treat for a very, very special person and I don't want that person to be with me when I get it." Draco smiled falsely.  
  
"Oh, really, Dracy? You mean it?" simpered Pansy. Draco nodded quickly and left the room before she could say anything else. Once out, he rolled his eyes again, this time at the suit of armour across the hall. The suit of armour responded by swinging off of the wall on a magical hinge. Draco stared.  
  
Behind the coat of armour appeared a hole, and from the hole appeared Ron and Hermione. They stared at Draco, who was staring back at them.  
  
"Ron?" said Hermione faintly. "This doesn't look like the Great Hall." Draco shook his head disbelievingly at the pair.  
  
"Must've taken a wrong right turn somewhere," muttered Ron, his cheeks turning slightly pink. "Sorry." Draco glanced at the armour, then remembered the network of tunnels that ran through Hogwarts. He had forgotten that one of the exits was right outside the Slytherin dorm.  
  
"Well, now we're hopelessly lost," Hermione said expasperatedly. "Unless you happen to have a map of the tunnels or something hidden up your robe sleeve." Draco cleared his throat and the two looked at him.  
  
"No need for a map," said the Slytherin. "You have your very own personal map right here. Though I shouldn't help you, seeing as you stood there and argued for five minutes without saying a single thing to me."  
  
"Sorry Malfoy," said Hermione, sighing. "Would you be willing to get us outside without anyone knowing?"  
  
"Depends on what you're getting outside to do," replied Draco. "What brings two Gryffindors to the Slytherin dowm in the middle of the night, besides lack of directional skills?"  
  
"We're looking for Harry," explained Hermione. Ron was keeping determinedly quiet. "He's not in his bed." Draco's already pale skin paled further, something that was not missed by the bushy haired girl. "What? Is something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"It's Blaise. He's not in his bed, either."  
  
~*~  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: Hope I didn't skip around too much or anything; the story's kinda spreading out and stuff. If it's confusing, you tell me and I'll rewrite the chapter. Sorry for abandoning the story for so long. It won't happen again, I promise! ^^;;; Next chapter coming as soon as I get inspiration and/or finish typing it up. 


	13. Concerning Hogsmeade

Title: Concerning Hogsmeade  
  
Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's day this year, but her roses (supposed to lead you to happiness and your true soul mate) seem to bring more trouble than they're worth! (Slash)  
  
Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance  
  
Books Referenced: None in particular  
  
Warning(s): Contains slash.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it. It owns me.  
  
A/N: Muahahahaha! Love those peddlers on the metro! I got the basic plot of this chapter from a peddler trying to sell me something on my way home from the movies today. So, thank the peddlers for this chapter. ^_~  
  
A/N 1A: I have no idea what day it is in my story right now, so we'll just pretend Hogsmeade visits are....random now. Kay? =\  
  
A/N II: Okay, yes! I'm back to thanking reviewers! Thanks to: leia3000, Prophetess of Hearts (Nuu, then there won't be any plot for later! Wait...never mind...there IS no plot. ^^;; ), Liz Huisman, penguin-chan (Nice name!), the-princess-bard (I'll try. ^_^ But I'm so uninspired! ;_; ), AJ, Nana H, until strawberry sherbert (Nice name, as well! Yeah, I think by this point, *Blaise* is the only one who wants this to be a Blaise/Harry slash. XP), Aiera, chimerical (Glad you liked it. :D), ChibiSlasher (Oh, really? Yay, I wrote a nice cliffhanger, for once! O.o; ), Aurora, and Shadow! *hugz to all!!*  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
The three Hogwarts students turned at the sound of the Slytherin dungeon's door sliding quietly open behind them. Draco turned to see who it was and groaned.  
  
"Dracy poo, I thought you were going to the kitchens," said Pansy Parkinson as she caught sight of the blond boy standing in the hallway. "What are you doing with these Gryffindors?" Draco flinched imperceptibly and thought fast.  
  
"Potter's missing," said Draco. "These Gryffindors here thought I stole him, like I'd want him in the first place. It turns out, Blaise stole him. I was just about to go to the kitchens to get the special thing, but it looks like I have to go get Blaise. I'm very mad at him."  
  
"Why, Dracy?" asked Pansy, widening her eyes. "I would have thought that you'd be glad Blaise got Potter." Ron and Hermione glanced at each other nervously.  
  
"Well, Pansy, he did it wrong. I'm very angry at Blaise for getting Harry the wrong way and I have to teach him how to do it right. Do me a favour, love, so I can go to the kitchens for you. Go get Blaise and bring him to me. Let Potter escape so I can show Blaise the right way to capture a Gryffindor. Will you do that, Pansy-dear?" Pansy thought for a second then nodded.  
  
"I'll see what I can do, Dracy," she said, disappearing back around the dungeon door to sneak out the back way. Draco rolled his eyes.  
  
"Let's go look for Zabini and Harry," he said to the Gryffindors. "With any luck, we'll get there before Parkinson does."  
  
***  
  
-at the lake again-  
  
"Zabini, don't make me hurt you," hissed Harry. The other boy was still pressed up to him uncomfortably.  
  
"But sadomasochism is my thing these days, Potter. I'd be honoured if you'd hurt me," Blaise said sweetly. Harry narrowed his eyes at Blaise.  
  
"I think you know what I meant, Zabini. Get off of me." Blaise smiled at the other boy. Then, suddenly, a voice came from behind him.  
  
"Oh Blaise! There you are!" Pansy came running up to the two boys. "I've been looking all over for you! I wanted to tell you something." Blaise backed quickly away from Harry, then turned to eye the Slytherin girl.  
  
"Pansy, I was busy," he scolded. "It'd better be something important." Pansy nodded adoringly at Blaise and walked up to him. Standing on her tiptoe, she whispered something in his ear. Blaise looked disgusted. "You what?!" Pansy giggled girlishly at him.  
  
"You heard me," she said coyly. Blaise wrinkled his nose at her.  
  
"Go away, Pansy." He started to turn back to Harry, but Pansy caught Blaise by the arm, spun him back around, and kissed him hard. When he finally came to his senses and pulled away to get back to seducing Harry, the Gryffindor was gone. Pansy winked at Blaise, giggled, then ran off happily, leaving Blaise fuming.  
  
When she arrived at the castle again, she ran smack into Hermione, kocking both of them over and leaving them sprawled indecently on the floor. Pansy wrinkled her nose and stood up quickly.  
  
"Did you find him?" asked Draco. Pansy nodded, but didn't say anything. "And?" he prodded. Pansy shook her head and ran off.  
  
"Huh," commented Ron, staring after her. "Issues."  
  
***  
  
-the next day, in Hogsmeade-  
  
"It's a shame Hermione decided not to come to Hogsmeade with us today," commented Ron, licking an ice cream cone he had bought from the Weasley twins' shop. Harry shrugged.  
  
"Guess she didn't feel well," he replied, snickering as Ron's skin turned orange. Several passerby stared at the now-orange boy.  
  
"What?" asked Ron self-conciously to Harry as he noticed the looks. "What??" He suddenly looked down at himself, made a strangled sort of quiet screaming noise, and dashed to a store nearby to duck into the washroom. Harry smiled to himself and followed Ron into the washroom.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Hermione was feeling fine. She had lingered around Hogwarts for a few minutes until her two friends were safely out of sight, then headed to Hogsmeade herself. Her plan was to shop around Hogsmeade alone, to find Ron a present for his upcoming birthday. However, after a quick scan of the main Hogsmeade shops, Hermione was beginning to think this was easier said than done.  
  
As she headed for the last shop, by itself at the end of the street, she noticed a small side alley leading out of Hogsmeade that she had never seen before. Curious, the Gryffindor girl headed down the alley, thinking she might find something special there.  
  
"Looking for something, miss?" asked a toothless old man carrying a large box of body oils. "If so, I have just the thing for you. Body oils, they make you smell good and they make perfect gifts." Hermione looked at the man for a minute, considering.  
  
"Well," she said, "I'm kind of looking for a present for my...er...good friend. He's turning sixteen this year. What do you think I should get?" The man opened his box and rummaged around in it.  
  
"Try this one, missy. It's vanilla musk, very nice for a young man." He held the jar out and Hermione undid the lid on it. It was perhaps luck, or misfortune, that had Hermione concentrating on the lid and not the man, for when he held it out to her, his robe sleeve slipped back a little bit. Had the girl been paying attention to the man, she might have seen that under the sleeve was a small, black tattoo. Before she could potentially move her concentration from the jar to his arm, two things happened at once. The man shoved his sleeve back down just as Hermione took the first sniff of the oil. Then, everything went black.  
  
~*~  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: Hope this one wasn't confoosling to you. I wanted to get it written before I forgot my idea. So...who IS this mysterious man with the oils? What's up with Hermione? And when, when, WHEN do Harry and Draco get to snog? This and much more coming whenever I can write it!! XD  
  
A/N II: For those of you who don't know, sadomasochism is getting sexual pleasure from being maimed. o.O; Like, whips and chains and...stuff. Yeah. 


End file.
